70 years of Water Resources – reflecting on the 2000s: an Interview with Mark Ballard
When it comes to drilling in the Territory, few names carry the weight of Mark Ballard. He first stepped onto a rig back in 1982, swag in hand, and more than 4 decades later he’s still out there, steering crews and shaping the industry.
These days Mark is the Drilling Manager for Water Resources, but he’s never lost that hands-on edge. An ADIA member and a key voice on the National Uniform Drillers Licensing Committee, he’s spent years not just turning rigs, but also passing on knowledge, building training programs, running courses, and speaking at conferences.
For Mark, drilling has always been more than just a job. It’s about keeping communities supplied, backing industries, and making sure the next generation of drillers have the skills and grit to keep the work going.
Q: How did you first get into drilling, and what kind of training or qualifications were required back then?
“Did you have a swag and a pair of boots?” That was pretty much all you needed back then. I was living in Brisbane, doing my toolmaking apprenticeship, when a few of the drilling crew came through on their way to the states. They stayed at my place and asked if I wanted a job. At first, I said ‘no’, I was only in my second year of my trade and wanted to finish it.
“A couple of years later, once I’d finished my trade, I called the drilling manager, and he told me there was a spot for me the next week. That job fell through, but about 12 months later, out of the blue, I got a missed call from him with a message: “We’ve got a job for you. You start Monday.
“And just like that, I was in. I started as an MDA (mechanical drilling assistant). Any trade was considered an advantage back then, it didn’t have to be drilling specific. The only real requirement was getting a truck licence, which I picked up about a year into the job.”
Q: Can you recall a memorable drilling project in the NT and what made it stand out?
“McDills - I’ll never forget that one. Early 2000s, out in the middle of the Simpson Desert, working on an old oil well that had been drilled back in the 60s. When they decommissioned it, it wasn’t sealed properly. For decades after, water just kept roaring out of the ground, carving an oasis where there should’ve been nothing but sand. Fish, plants, birds, camels, a whole ecosystem had sprung up around this rogue well.
“The job was a monster. We had no idea what we were walking into, and we only had one shot at it. All the gear and equipment we could carry in was for a single attempt. Couldn’t just plug it and walk away either, the water had been flowing too long, and life depended on it now.
“It was pumping at around 125 litres a second, an unbelievable torrent for the desert. Our task was to tame it, not kill it. We allowed 5 litres a second, just enough to keep that desert oasis alive and keep the wildlife watered.”
It’s still flowing to this day, a living reminder of how one old oil well changed the landscape forever.
Q: What was the main purpose of drilling programs in the NT at the time — stock bores, community water supply, monitoring, exploration?
“In the 2000s, it was a lot of community supplies, mine water, and town bores. Some of the big horticultural farms around Katherine kicked off then too, which really opened that region up. We had rigs on barges heading across to the Tiwi Islands for community bores and even drilled the supply for Kings Canyon Resort. Wherever the need was, that’s where we were sent.”
Next month we take a look at the 2010s.
